Minister for Employment and Social Protection Regina Doherty has been accused by the Social Democrats of dropping plans to prevent employers suddenly ceasing payments into defined benefit pension schemes.
Róisín Shortall said the Social Welfare Pensions and Civil Registration Bill, published today, goes back on "the clear understanding" given in early drafts of the legislation that it would include restrictions on the ability of employers to trigger the closure of schemes without due notice and proper engagement.
In a statement, Ms Shortall asked why key protections for scheme members have been dropped from the measure.
It had been drafted in the wake of cross-party objections to last November's announcement by the Irish News and Media group that it was proposing to change its Defined Benefit scheme.
Trade union sources say the INM announcement - which triggered anger and fears of a 70% reduction of entitlements - is still a matter for negotiation between the parties concerned.
Meanwhile, Séamus Dooley, the Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists, which represents many members of the INM scheme, told RTÉ News that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions would also be insisting that the anticipated clause would be reinstated in the bill.
Mr Dooley who is also a member of ICTU's Executive Committee, said there had been all-party agreement on the matter which Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had been party to as the then minister for social protection.
Ms Shortall recalls that during a pre-legislative hearing on 1 June last, Department of Social Protection officials stated that the bill would provide for restrictions on the ability of employers to trigger the closure of a pension scheme without due notice and proper engagement.
Legislators were given to understand that the bill would deal with the "INM scenario", she says.
Ms Shorthall said: "However, the bill presented to the Dáil this week does not provide for any such thing. Several Heads were dropped from the Bill. In particular, one of these, Head 12, would have prevented employers suddenly ceasing payments into a defined benefit scheme.
"What workers need is legislation to prevent solvent companies walking away from pension promises. What we got is a half-hearted attempt at reform that will do very little to protect workers."
Recalling unsuccessful initiatives by herself and other legislators to correct the relevant anomaly in Irish law, she says that, yet again, the Department and the Minister in charge of it have failed to provide adequate legal protection workers' pension rights and have left them high and dry.
